This invention relates generally to utility meter assemblies and more particularly, to a weatherproof and tamper-resistant meter cover assembly.
Modern residential electric meters include a new kV A-base meter which generally has an internal assembly including a terminal block, and comparators linked to solid-state electronics for monitoring, storing and displaying utility usage data over time. In the past, A-base utility meter covers have used various housing configurations to protect the internal meter electronics and terminal block from weather conditions and tampering. However, such configurations have remained limited in their ability to effectively seal against wet weather conditions, and to protect the meter from tampering, without substantial increases in cost.
For example, known meter housing configurations use a separate sealing gasket to effectively seal the meter internal assembly against wet weather conditions, but the use of a separate sealing gasket represents substantial additional manufacturing cost.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an A-base meter cover assembly which improves the protection of the meter internal assembly from wet weather conditions. It would also be desirable to provide such a meter cover assembly fabricated from molded plastic so that manufacturing costs are low. It would be further desirable to provide a meter cover assembly which improves the protection of internal meter electronics from tampering. It would be still further desirable to provide such a meter cover assembly which does not require the use of a gasket to effectively seal the meter internal assembly against wet weather conditions.